AWMC wins two AWA Qld Water Awards

The Advanced Water Management Centre has taken home two awards at the annual Qld Gala Dinner & Awards Night held by the Australian Water Association.

AWMC had three finalists in the awards, with Dr Katrin Doederer going on to win the Qld Young Water Professional of the Year Award.

Dr Katrin Doederer, a Research Fellow at UQ’s Advanced Water Management Centre and an expert in water treatment technologies, said she was very honoured by this award.

“My role as Research Fellow working closely with Seqwater in the water treatment space allows me to socialize research outcomes and industry implementation strategies,” she said

“I am passionate about improving current treatment processes and engaging the industry to a better understanding of alternative treatment solutions.”

An AWMC research project, led by Damien Batstone and Tim Hülsen, won the Queensland Research Innovation Award.

The project, in collaboration with the Cooperative Research Centre for Water Sensitive Cities, focuses on purple phototrophic bacteria for resource recovery from wastewater.

This project is developing a world-first technology for a next-generation resource recovery process which will be able to replace existing wastewater treatment technology in the not so distant future.

Dr Tim Hülsen, Postdoctoral Research Fellow at AWMC, said this technology has the potential to recover vital fertiliser compounds, bioplastics and provide a sustainable animal feed source.

“We are delighted to have received the Qld Research Innovation Award,” said Dr Hülsen.

“It’s great that the industry has recognised the hard work of the team on the purple phototrophic bacteria concept development, and this award emphasises the relevance of this platform for the industry.

“We are confident that the PPB concept will advance in the future and our efforts are directed towards real world applications to shape the future of resource recovery.”

Australian Water Association Chief Executive Jonathan McKeown congratulated the winners of the 2017 QLD Water Awards at the annual Queensland Gala Dinner & Awards Night last Friday evening.

“The awards recognise the outstanding contribution of individuals and organisations in the water industry across innovation, research, infrastructure and delivery of water projects,” Mr McKeown said.

“As an industry we congratulate the dedication, passion and enthusiasm shown by our Queensland members who are genuinely making a difference to the sector and to our communities as a whole.”

The winners of the QLD Water Awards will automatically be entered into the equivalent National Australian Water Awards category, which will be presented at Ozwater’18 in Brisbane next year.